1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid purification system and more specifically to a device and method for removing aerosols and contaminants from fluids such as lubricants, fuels, and the like.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
This invention relates to fluid purification devices and method, which are preferably used in conjunction with engines using lubricating oils or hydraulic systems. More particularly, the present invention provides several unique oil/lubricant treatment configurations creating a unique system for fluid reconditioning.
Oil reclamation devices are known to incorporate an evaporator head having a heat-transmitting member mounted within a cavity. The heat-transmitting device can incorporate baffles to form a baffled evaporator chamber.
Oil filters are provided in a variety of form factors and materials. Common filters comprise a filtering medium disposed within a canister and sealed via a top member. A mechanical interface, such as a threaded interface, and fluid transfer means, such as an oil inlet and an oil outlet, are integrated into the top member. The filtering materials can be a paper product, a synthetic filtering material, and the like.
Oil reclamation devices can additionally include soluble oil additives for enriching the oil over a period of time. The additives are positioned within the filter in a section between the particle filtering material and a felt pad. The additives are placed to contact the oil and formulated to dissolve over a period of time.
Oil reclamation devices generally manage aerosols by releasing them to the atmosphere. This creates an undesirable configuration for pollution control.
Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) (also called slush powder) are polymers that can absorb and retain extremely large amounts of a liquid relative to its own mass.
Water absorbing polymers, classified as hydrogels, absorb aqueous solutions through hydrogen bonding with the water molecule. So an SAP's ability to absorb water is a factor of the ionic concentration of an aqueous solution. In de-ionized and distilled water, SAP may absorb 500 times its weight (from 30-60 times its own volume), but when put into a 0.9% saline solution, the absorbency drops to may be 50 times its weight. The presence of valent cations in the solution will impede the polymers ability to bond with the water molecule.
Superabsorbent polymers are now commonly made from the polymerization of acrylic acid blended with sodium hydroxide in the presence of an initiator to form poly-acrylic acid, sodium salt (sometimes referred to as cross-linked sodium polyacrylate). This polymer is the most common type of SAP made in the world today. Other materials are also used to make a superabsorbent polymer, such as polyacrylamide copolymer, ethylene maleic anhydride copolymer, cross-linked carboxy-methyl-cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, cross-linked polyethylene oxide, and starch grafted copolymer of polyacrylonitrile to name a few. The latter is one of the oldest SAP forms created.
Today superabsorbent polymers are made using one of two primary methods; suspension polymerization or solution polymerization. Both processes have their advantages over the other and both yield a consistent quality of product.
Solution based polymerization is the most common process used today for SAP manufacture. This process is efficient and generally has a lower capital cost base. The solution process uses a water based monomer solution to produce a mass of reactant polymerized gel. The polymerization's own reaction energy (exothermic) is used to drive much of the process, helping reduce manufacturing cost. The reactant polymer gel is then chopped, dried and ground to its final granule size. Any treatments to enhance performance characteristics of the SAP are usually accomplished after the final granule size is created.
The suspension process is practiced by only a few companies because it offers a higher degree of production control and product engineering during polymerization step. This process suspends the water-based reactant in a hydrocarbon-based solvent. The net result is that the suspension polymerization creates the primary polymer particle in the reactor rather than mechanically in post-reactions stages. Performance enhancements can also be during or just after the reaction stage.
The type and degree of cross-linking to the polymer control the total absorbency and swelling capacity. Low density cross-linked SAP generally has a higher absorbent capacity and swell to a larger degree. These types of SAPs also have a softer and more cohesive gel formation. High cross-link density polymers exhibit lower absorbent capacity and swell. The gel strength is firmer and can maintain particle shape even under modest pressure.
Oil reclamation processes have a general trend of extracting aerosols, such as hydrocarbons, and releasing them to the atmosphere. This process is considered as lacking consideration for the environment, and several states are currently focusing on legislation to reduce or eliminate this practice.
Thus, what is desired is a lubrication reclamation system providing optimal control of the purification process. Additionally, designed is the ability for the end user to tailor the configuration for both purification and monitoring via a plurality of stacked array members.